On March 29, the second annual Vermont Workers’ Center Solidarity School concluded. 20 union members, students and community activists participated in three days of popular education, spread over six weeks. Participants sharpened their organizing skills, discussed how to put together tactics and strategies into successful campaigns to win concrete improvements for working people, explored people’s history and the impact of racism on movements for progressive change, and — most importantly, in the views of many participants — had the opportunity to “connect with other workers, hear personal stories and struggles that others have, realize our similarities.”

I appreciated the diversity of the facilitators and their experiencesThe 2008 Solidarity School builds on the highly successful 2007 Solidarity School, and four graduates from the 2007 school returned to help facilitate the school this year, joining veterans of the VWC Education Committee, Kate Kanelstein from UVM SLAP and Doyle Canning from smartMeme.

Extra thanks and shout-outs to the organizations whose education materials we learned from/used/borrowed/stole: Project SouthNational Network For Immigrant and Refugee RightsUE Education DepartmentBeyond the ChoirsmartMemePOWER, and others we may have missed …

More photos of Solidarity School 2008